单选题 New research suggests that animals have a much higher level of brainpower than previously thought. If animals do have intelligence, how do scientists measure it? Before defining animals" intelligence, scientists defined what is not intelligence. Instinct is not intelligence. It is a skill programmed into an animal"s brain. Rote (机械记忆) conditioning is also not intelligence. Tricks can be learned by repetition, but no real thinking is involved. Scientists believe that insight (顿悟), the ability to use tools, and communication using human language are all effective measures of the mental ability of animals.
Scientists define insight as a flash of sudden understanding. When a young gorilla could not reach fruit from a tree, she noticed some boxes scattered about the lawn near the tree. She piled up the boxes, and then climbed on them to reach her reward. The gorilla"s insight allowed her to solve a new problem without trial and error.
The ability to use tools is also an important sign of intelligence. Grows use sticks to get nuts out of cracks. The crow exhibits intelligence by showing it has learned what a stick can do. Likewise, seals use rocks to crack open shells in order to get the meat.
Many animals have learned to communicate using human language. One chimp can recognize and correctly use more than 250 abstract symbols on a keyboard. These symbols represent human words. An amazing parrot can distinguish five objects of two different types. He can understand the difference between the number, color, and kind of object. The ability to classify is a basic thinking skill. He seems to use language to express his needs and emotions. When ill and taken to the animal hospital for his first overnight stay, this parrot turned to go. "Come here!" he cried to a scientist who works with him. "I love you. I"m sorry. Wanna go back?"
The research on animal intelligence raises important questions. If animals are smarter than once thought, would that change the way humans interact with them? Would humans stop hunting them for sport or survival? Would animals still be used for food, clothing, or medical experimentation? Finding the answer to these tough questions takes a difficult puzzle even for a large-brained, problem-solving species like our own.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。通过parrot(鹦鹉)回到原文定位到倒数第二段。该段讲到很多动物学着使用人类语言进行交流。鹦鹉会区分有着两种不同形状的五种物体，这种分类的能力(ability to classify)是一种基本的思维技巧(thinking skill)。故本题选A。C选项为混淆项，grasp表示“掌握”，动物只是学着使用人类语言，但并未到掌握的程度。